dessysalta

Votes are not binding, and that's fine. If votes only exist for staff to ask the community for opinion on some change, then yeah, sure, that's fine too. But what was the point of this vote then?

It's only going to frustrate people if staff ask for community opinion about XYZ, but then something completely different is implemented, while still calling it XYZ.

I absolutely understand that, realistically, an actual 2IC would have the same species restrictions as the 1IC. But the proposition as it will be implemented is as much of a 2IC as the Captain can currently appoint anyways. Honestly, Shimmer put it best by saying how this would make the XO a learner role for Captain.

Could the Captain use a learner role? Maybe! It would be very interesting to have a role on-ship as described; someone who can fill in gaps and assist in full interdepartmental communication. But ideally, that shouldn't be mutually exclusive with the current XO. The current XO fills a very necessary gap in the roster, which isn't achieved to the same extent as the upcoming 2IC changes.

Votes aren't binding, I agree. At the end of the day, the development and administration team decides what direction such a policy takes. The decision was made two months ago, the poll a year ago. Things take time, and I don't think that's an extremely valid reason to discard a change. But right now it just feels like there's an invisible axe of hopelessness hanging above the necks of all the unique and beloved XO's. Man, while I'd be remorseful not to be able to play my Unathi XO, at least I'd be a bit more content if, upon deciding, the policy was immediately implemented, period. Not this painful waiting period in which the discontent and pushback from the community is given the opportunity to fester.

(The only good thing from this discourse is that my meme is doing numbers <3)

Current xeno XOs can keep it within their records and transfer to a different department though. The increased authority of the role is unfortunately incompatible with allowing xenos in the role due to our rules both IC and OOC surrounding who can be a captain.